Circuit interrupter support means



un.. 3, 1970 J. M. MICHAELsoN, JR v33382286 v CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER SUPPORT MEANS Filed Dec. 30, 1968 `2 Sheets-Sheet l i l F|G.2 MJT @fg l i) NOV- 3,1970 J. M. MICHAELSON, .JR 3,538,286

CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER SUPPORT MEANS Filed Deo. 30, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 LONG STUD EH, FA

Mounting instructions f For EB, EHB, FB, EA, EH or FA Circuit Breakers Do not remove studs. Turn knurled nut counterciockwise 1/4 turn and move to position desired. Use short screw with long studend iong screw with short stud.

3 Pole E8, EHB, FB Studs ere in Correct Position.

3 Pole EH, FA Move Studs to EH, FA Position (A, D, F).

3 Pole EA Move Studs to EA Position (B. D, Fi.

2 Pole EB, EHB, FB Interchange Lower L.H. end Center Studs.

2 Pole EH, FA Move Upper Stud to EH, FA Position (A) end interchange Lower L.H. & FLH. Studs.

2 Foie EA Move Upper Stud to EA Position (Bi end Interchsnge Lower L.H.end R.H. Studs.

1 Pole EB, EHB, FB interchange Upper end Lower FLH. Studs Move Lower L.H.Stud to Position (D). Mounting Holes ere Along the Edge of Breaker. Use Long Screws end Clernp.

EA EB EA EB EA EH EHB EH EHB EH FA FB FA FB FA LONG STUD SHORT STUD SHORT STUD United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 200-168 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An enclosed circuit interrupter comprises an enclosure and improved support means supporting the circuit interrupter in the enclosure. The support means, which facilitates mounting of the circuit interrupter within the enclosure, can be used to mount a plurality of diierent sizes of circuit interrupters within the enclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention Support means for supporting circuit interrupters.

Description of the prior art In the patent to S. A. Mrenna et al. 3,048,685, there 1s disclosed an enclosed circuit interrupter With support means for supporting a plurality of different sizes of circuit interrupters within the enclosure. This invention is an improvement over the prior-art of the type disclosed in the Mrenna et al. patent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An enclosed circuit interrupter comprises an enclosure and improved support means supporting a circuit interrupter within the enclosure. The enclosure comprises a base plate or support plate having a plurality of separate openings therein. A plurality of support structures cooperate with the support plate at a plurality of the openings to support a circuit interrupter on the support plate. The support plate is provided with a plurality of separate mounting-openings with each of the mounting-openings being continuous with the associated entrance opening. Each of the support structures comprises a support stud and a nut member. Each support stud comprises a lower lock part, an upper support part and a neck part between the lower lock part and the upper support part. Each of the upper support parts is provided with external threads thereon and internal threads therein. Each of the support studs is supported on the support plate at the associated mounting-opening with the neck part thereof being in the associated mounting-opening. At each of the support structures, the associated nut member is threaded on the external threads at the front side of the support plate to draw the lower lock part of the support stud against the back side of the support plate to thereby mount the associated support stud on the support plate. The neck of each stud is shaped, relative to the dimension of the associated mounting-opening, to prevent rotation of the support stud so that as the nut member is tightened down to secure the support stud to the support plate, the support stud will not rotate. With the support structures in the mounted position on the support plate, an insulating housing type circuit breaker is moved into the mounted position on the nut members. During the mounting operation, a plurality of the support studs extend upward into openings in the insulating housing of the circuit interrupter to facilitate alignment of the circuit interrupter with the support structures. With the circuit interrupter mounted on the support structures, a separate bolt for each of the support structures is passed 3,538,286 Patented Nov. 3, 1970 ICC through a suitable opening in the insulating housing of the circuit interrupter and threaded into the internal threaded part of the associated support stud to thereby draw the circuit interrupter against the nut members to secure the circuit interrupter in the mounted position.

Each of a plurality of the openings in the support plate is formed with an entrance-opening and a plurality of separate mounting-openings with each mountingopening being continuous with the associated entranceopening. Each entrance-opening is large enough that the lock part of the support stud can be moved therethrough to thereby position the neck portion of the support stud in the opening whereupon the support stud can be moved laterally into and out of each of the mounting-openings from the entrance-opening. When the support stud is positioned in one of the mounting-openings, the lower lock part of the support stud interferes with the support plate to prevent frontward removal of the support stud from the mounting-opening, and When the associated nutmember is tightened down on the support stud the support stud is iixedly mounted in position. When it is desired to change the location of the support stud, the nut member is loosened and the support stud can be moved to another position in another of the mounting-openings. The plurality of openings in the support plate are constructed and arranged such that a plurality of different sizes of circuit interrupters can be mounted on the support plate by means of the support structures. Mounting instructions are provided with the enclosure to identify the mounting openings that should be used to support the various sizes of circuit interrupters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view, With parts broken away, of a circuit interrupter supported in an enclosure in accordance with principles of this invention;

FIG. -2 is a top view, with parts broken away, of the structure of FIG. 1 with the circuit interrupter being shown in broken lines;

FIG. 3 is a partial side sectional side view, with parts broken away, illustrating one of the support means of FIGS. l and 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial side sectional View, with parts broken away, illustrating another of the support means of FIGS. l and 2;

FIG. 5 is a partial exploded perspective view of the support means seen in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of part of the mounting plate of FIGS. 1-4 and a sectional view through the neck portion of a support stud positioned in a mounting-opening of the support plate; and

FIG. 7 is a view of an instruction sheet that may be fixed to the support plate of the enclosure to designate which openings should be used with the various sizes of circuit interrupters that may be mounted in the enclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an enclosed circuit interrupter 5 comprising an enclosure 7 and a circuit interrupter 9 supported in the enclosure 7 by support means 11.

The enclosure 7 comprises a metallic receptacle 13 and a metallic cover 14. The receptacle 13 comprises a generally planar base plate or support plate and four side Walls 17 extending frontward from the support plate 15 to provide an open front which is covered by the openable cover 14. The metallic support plate 1S is formed with four protrusions 19 that protrude downward from the bottom surface of the generally planar support plate 15 to provide four legs for supporting the enclosure.

The circuit interrupter 9 is a molded-case or insulatinghousing circuit breaker of the type shown in the application of James P. Ellsworth et al., Ser. No. 703,409, led Feb. 6, 1968 and assigned to the assignee of the subject application. The circuit interrupter comprises an insulating housing 21 having an opening `at the front thereof. An insulating handle 23 protrudes through the opening and is operable between operating position to open and close the contacts of the circuit interrupter. The circuit interrupter comprises means automatically operable to effect opening of the contacts upon the occurrence of overload current conditions in a manner well known in the art.

The support means 11, for supporting the circuit interrupter 9, comprises the support plate and three support structures 27.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the support plate 15 has four openings 31, 33, 35 and 37 therein. The opening 31 comprises an entrance-opening 39 and three separate mounting-openings `41 with each of the mounting-openings 41 being continuous with the entrance-opening 39. The opening 33 comprises an entrance-opening 43 and two separate mounting-openings 45 `with each of the mountingopenings 45 being continuous with the entrance-opening 43. The opening 35 comprises an entrance-opening 47 and two separate mounting-openings 49 with each of the mounting-openings 49 being continuous with the entranceopening 47. The opening 37 comprises an entrance-opening 51 and a mounting-opening 53 that is continuous with the entrance-opening 51.

As can be seen in FIG. 5, the support structure 27 comprises a support stud 57 having a lower lock part 59, a neck part 61, and an upper tubular support part 63I that is provided with external threads 65. The upper support part 63 is internally threaded providing a tapped openlng that is open at the upper or ifront part of the part upper support 63 for receiving a bolt member 67. The support structure 27 also comprises a nut member 69v having internal threads 71 for cooperating with the external threads 65. The support structure 2.7 seen in FIG. 3 is identical to the support structure 27 seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 execept that the stud member 57 is a short stud member having a dimension above the neck part `61 that is only slightly greater than the thickness of the nut member 69. The stud member 57 in FIG. 3 is primed to indicate that the FIG. 3 stud is the short stud whereas the stud member of FIGS. 4 and 5 is the long stud.

The dimensions of the lock part 59 (FIG. 5) of the stud 57 are such, relative to the dimensions of the opening 35, that the lock part 59 can be moved down into the lower entrance-opening part 47 to position the lower lock part 149 below the lower surface of the plate 15 with the neck part 61 of the stud '57 being in the entranceopening 47 Thereafter, the stud member 57 can be moved laterally, along a plane parallel to the planar surface of the supporting plate 15, from the entrance-opening 47 into either one of the mounting-openings 419. The dimensions of the lower lock part l59 relative to the dimensions of the mounting-opening 49, are such that the lower lock part 59 will engage the undersurface of the plate 15 to prevent frontward removal of the stud 57. The upper support part y63 of the stud 57 will engage the front surface of the plate 15 to prevent downward movement of the stud 57 when the stud is in the mounting-opening 49. As can be seen in FIG. 6, the stud y57 cannot be moved frontward (out from the plane of the paper as seen in FIG. 6) because of the engagement of the lock part 59 with the lower support plate 15 when the stud 57 is in the mounting-opening 49. With the stud 57 in the mounting-opening 49, the nut member 69 is moved onto the threads 65 and screwed down tightly during which operation the nut 69 engages the front surface of the support plate 15 and draws the stud 57 frontward drawing the lower lock part 59 of the stud 5-'7 against the undersurface of the support plate 15 to iixedly secure the stud 57 on the support plate 15 at the mounting-opening 49. As can be seen in FIG. 6, the dimensions of the neck part 61 of the stud 57 are such relative to the dimensions of the mounting-opening 49 that the neck part `61 cannot rotate so that the stud 57 is prevented from rotation as the nut 69 is tightened. When it is desired to remove the stud 57 from the support plate '15, the nut 6'9 is loosened and the stud 57 is moved laterally to the entrance-opening 47 whereupon the stud l57 can be lifted out through the entrance opening 47. It can ibe understood that the stud 57 could be similarly mounted in either of the mountingopenings '49 (FIG. 6i) and in any of the mounting-openings 41, 45, 53 (FIG. 2) in the support plate 15.

For the purposes of illustration, it can be considered that the circuit interrupter 9 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is a three pole EB circuit Ibreaker. This means that the circuit interrupter is a three pole circuit breaker having a particular frame size (EB). Referring to the mounting instructions seen in FIG. 7, it will be noted that the three pole EB circuit breaker should be mounted on three support structures with a long-stud support structure in the C mounting opening (41, FIG. 2.), a short stud support structure in the G mounting-opening (49, FIG. 2), and a long stud support structure in the E mounting-opening `(45, FIG. 2). The EB molded-case circuit breaker is provided with three openings through the insulating-housing portion thereof which will align with the support studs when they are in the positions identified by the mounting instructions seen in FIG. 7. The support structures 27 are mounted in the desired mounting-openings (the support structures are shown in broken lines in FIG. 2) and the circuit breaker 9 is moved into the mounted position wherein the bottom of the circuit breaker will rest on the three nut members 69 of the three support structures 27. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the insulating housing 21 of the circuit breaker 9 is provided with openings 73 therethrough. The two longstud support structures are provided to guide the circuit breaker into the mounted position to Ifacilitate mounting of the circuit breaker. With a long-stud support structure at one end of the breaker and at least one long-stud support structure at the other end of the breaker, the circuit breaker can be moved into the mounted position with the long-studs passing into the associated openings 73 to align the circuit breaker and to provide some support for the circuit breaker when the circuit breaker is set into the mounted position. Thereafter, the bolts 67 are moved down through the openings in the circuit breaker (which openings are open at the front of the circuit breaker) and the Abolts 67 are screwed down into the studs 57, 57 with the bolt heads of the bolts 67 engaging shoulder portions of the insulating housing of the circuit breaker at the front of the openings of the circuit breaker to draw the circuit breaker 9 against the nut members 69 to thereby lixedly secure the circuit breaker 9 on the three support structures 27 which are in turn supported on the support plate 15. lIf it is desired to dismount the circuit breaker 9 and exchange the circuit breaker for a circuit breaker having a dilferent frame size, the circuit breaker can be removed and the support studs 57 can be moved to the desired position, in accordance with the mounting instructions of FIG. 7, whereupon the other circuit breaker can be mounted on the newly positioned support structures 27.

As can be seen in FIG. 7, the instructions provide that when a single pole circuit breaker is used the mounting screws (67) are used with screw clamps. The reason Vfor this instruction is that the screws 67 do not extend through the insulating housing of a single pole breaker, and two clamps are provided at the opposite sides near the opposite ends of the breaker for receiving two screws 67 which extend down alongside the breaker innotches in the sides of the insulating housing. 'Ihe screws 67 will cooperate with the studs y57 in the same manner to secure the single pole circuit breaker to the two support structures 27.

What is claimed is:

1. Support means for supporting a circuit interrupter, said support means comprising a support plate having an opening therein,

a support structure comprising a support stud and a nut member, said support stud comprising a lower lock part an upper support part and a neck part between said lower lock part and said upper support part, said upper support part having external threads thereon,

said suport stud supported on said support plate at Said opening with said neck part being in said opening, said nut member threaded on said external threads at the front side of said support plate to draw said support stud frontiward to thereby draw said lower lock part against the lback side of said support plate to thereby mount said support stud on said support plate, and saidsupport stud havin-g a tapped opening therein at the front thereof for receiving a bolt that may be threaded into said tapped opening to secure a circuit interrupter to said support structure on said support plate.

2. Support means according to claim 1, said neck part and said support plate at said opening constructed to key to prevent rotation of said support stud in said opening.

3. Support means according to claim 1, said support plate at said opening having an entrance-opening and a plurality of separate mounting-openings with each m-ounting-opening being continuous with the entrance-opening, said support stud supported on said support plate at a irst of said plurality of mounting-openings with said neck part keying with said support plate at said first mountingopening to prevent rotation of said support stud and with said lower lock part engaging the back side of said support plate to prevent frontward removal of said support stud at said first mounting-opening, with said circuit interrupter removed said nut member being loosenable and said support stud being movable laterally from said rst mounting-opening to said entrance-opening which is large enough to permit frontward removal of said lower lock part through said entrance-opening, and said support stud similarly mountable in the second of said plurality of mounting-openings.

4. Support means for supporting a circuit interrupter, said support means comprising a generally planar support plate having an opening therein, said support plate at said opening having'an entrance-opening and a plurality of separate mounting-openings with each mounting-opening being continuous with said entrance-opening,

a support structure comprising a support stud supported on said support plate at a first of said mounting-openings, said support stud and said support plate constructed to prevent frontward removal of said support stud from said lirst mounting opening, said support stud being movable in said opening in a direction parallel to the plane of said support plate from said rst mounting-opening to said entranceopening, said support stud and said support plate constructed to enable frontward removal of said support stud from said entrance-opening, said support stud being movable in a direction parallel to the plane of said support plate from said entranceopening to a second of said plurality of mountingopenings, said support stud and said support plate constructed to prevent frontward removal of said support stud from said second mounting-opening.

5. Support means according to claim 4, said support stud comprising a lower lock part an upper support part and a neck part between said lower lock part and said upper support part, said support stud being supported on said support plate with said neck part in said lirst mounting-opening, said upper support part having external threads thereon, and a nut member threaded on said external threads to draw said support stud frontward to thereby draw said lower lock part against the back side of said support plate to thereby secure said support stud to said support plate at said first mounting-opening, and said support stud being similarly mountable to said support plate at said second mounting-opening.

6. Support means according to claim 5, and said opening being generally U-shaped with the bight portion of said generally U-shaped opening being said entranceopening and with the opposite legs of said generally U- shaped opening being said mounting-openings.

7. Support means according to claim 5, and said opening being a generally E-shaped opening with said entranceopening being the common side of said generally E-shaped opening and with said plurality of mounting-openings 'being the three legs of said generally E-shaped opening.

8. In combination, an enclosure, a circuit interrupter support means supporting said circuit interrupter in said enclosure,

said enclosure comprising a base plate structure and side Wall means extending from said base plate structure, said base plate structure comprising support plate means,

said support means comprising said support plate means and a plurality of support srtuctures, said support plate means having a separate opening therein for each of said support structures,

each of said support structures comprising a support stud and a nut member, each of said support studs comprising a lower lock part an upper support part and a neck part between said lower lock part and said upper support part, each of said upper support parts having external threads thereon,

each of said support studs supported on said support plate means at the associated opening with the associated neck part in the associated opening, each of said nut members threaded on the external threads of the associated support stud at the front side of said support plate means to draw the associated support stud frontward to thereby draw the associated lower lock part against the back side of said support plate means to thereby mount the associated support stud on said support plate means,

each of said support studs having a threaded opening therein open at the front thereof, said circuit interrupter having a separate opening therein for each of said support structures, said circuit interrupter mounted on said nut members with each of said threaded openings aligned with a separate opening in said circuit interrupter, a separate bolt member for each of said support structures, each of said bolt members being in a diiferent opening in said circuit interrupter and threaded into the threaded opening of the associated support stud to thereby mount said circuit interrupter on said support stru-ctures which are mounted on said support plate means.

9. A combination according to claim 8, said neck parts and said support plate means at said openings constructed such that each of said neck parts keys with said support plate means at the associated opening to prevent rotation of the associated support stud in the associated opening.

10. The combination according to claim 8, said support plate means at each of said openings having an entrance-opening and a plurality of separate mountingopenings with each mounting-opening being continuous with the associated entrance-opening, with said circuit interrupter removed each of said nut members being loosenable and each of said support stud being movable from the associated mounting-opening to the other of the mounting-openings which is continuous with the associated entrance-opening, and with said support structures repositioned in selected mounting-openings said nut members being tightenable to secure said support structures on said support plate means at said selected mounting openings whereby a diierent size circuit interrupter may be similarly secured to said support structures.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Christensen 317--119 8 Mrenna et al. 317-120 XR Carlyle 317--119 Stanback 317-119 Jacobs et a1 317-119 5 HERMAN o. JONES, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 

